The Princess and Her Rough-Rider Khan
Chapter 470 - 469 This is the only thing that won’t work (First update)

Chapter 470: 469 This is the only thing that won’t work (First update)

Li Xianyun nestled in Yelu Yan’s arms, looked up at him, and asked, "Husband, seeing my master today reminded me of many things about my mother. You have never mentioned your own mother, could you tell me about her?"

Yelu Yan had told her that Guli was not his birth mother and said there were many things involved, that he would tell her slowly in the future, but he had yet to explain in detail.

At her words, Yelu Yan’s body tensed slightly.

His first thought was if Li Xianyun knew his birth was laden with sin, that he was an unwanted, cursed child, would she dislike him, loathe him?

He found this thought quite laughable.

After all, those things were beyond his control, not his fault.

And Li Xianyun, with her inherently good nature, would naturally not hold such things against him.

But who made him care so much about Li Xianyun? He was always overly cautious, as wary as someone walking through a battlefield, and afraid of losing her.

Yet, looking into those clear, pure eyes, how could he bear to deceive her?

Yelu Yan tightened his arms, pulling her slender waist closer to him.

He lowered his head to gaze at Li Xianyun, not wanting to miss any expression on her face, and asked very seriously and solemnly, "Xianxian, if you knew my past was filled with the unspeakable, would you despise me?"

Li Xianyun saw the sorrow and uncertainty filled in his eyes, a stark contrast to his usual decisive and invincible demeanor, which was inevitably heart-wrenching.

Li Xianyun’s fair little hand gently cradled his handsome cheek, looking at him with tender affection, leaned in to kiss his attractive lips lightly, and murmured softly, "Silly husband, I would only feel sorry for you, how could I possibly despise you?"

Yelu Yan was deeply moved; his Xianxian always managed to stir his heartstrings unintentionally, making him feel incomparably soothed and comforted.

He kissed her back passionately.

But time was of the essence, and it wasn’t the moment for intimacy.

Li Xianyun turned her head away, dodging backwards, her small hand gently pressing against his firm chest, and said softly, "Husband, could you tell me about your mother now?"

"...Yes."

Li Xianyun spoke to the outside, "Stop the carriage at a quiet spot by the side of the road, and you all stay further away, I have something to discuss with the master."

"Yes!"

In the dim yellow light inside the carriage, Yelu Yan’s tiger-like eyes were dark, his handsome face taut.

Facing Li Xianyun’s actions, Yelu Yan was surprised but had already guessed partly why.

His heart was in turmoil.

The "master" Li Xianyun mentioned must have known about his birth mother. Rather than letting others distort the truth in her presence, it was better for him to lay everything out himself.

But Li Xianyun seemed even more anxious than he had anticipated; she took hold of his arms, shook them slightly, and said urgently, "Husband, cut to the chase."

Yelu Yan’s Adam’s apple bobbed, and he tried to summarize the main points succinctly.

He spoke of how his father Khan met his mother and continued with the disappearance of his mother after giving birth to him. It wasn’t until he was gravely ill at the age of five that he saw his mother again.

Those two months were the happiest days of his life; he knew he was no longer a child without a mother to want or love him, but once he recovered, his mother vanished yet again.

In conclusion, Yelu Yan said, "I am the child of her and her enemy. When she found out she was pregnant, she wanted to get rid of me but didn’t succeed. She must have hated me profoundly; which is why she hasn’t come to see me for so many years."

And considering he strongly resembled his father Khan, seeing a face so similar to her enemy’s, how could she not hate him?

"That’s not true," Li Xianyun said softly, "Husband, your mother loved you. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have risked being caught by your father Khan to sneak into the Imperial Palace and take care of you relentlessly."

Yelu Yan gave a bitter smile, not believing it.

Li Xianyun asked, "Husband, do you remember what your mother looked like?"

Yelu Yan gazed at Li Xian with a scrutinizing look, wondering why she would ask such a question.

However, Li Xianyun couldn’t wait any longer and said, "Husband, does your mother have a small beauty mark on her forehead?"

Yelu Yan’s eyes flickered.

He was only five years old when he saw his birth mother, and his memory of her face had become somewhat blurred, but the small blue mole on her forehead was especially etched in his mind.

Li Xianyun’s master who she met today indeed knew his mother.

From his reaction, Li Xianyun had confirmed her own guess.

It turns out her master was Yelu Yan’s birth mother!!!

No wonder the master had no relatives by her side, no wonder she kept to herself and avoided making friends, no wonder she never revealed her identity to her, no wonder she disappeared overnight without a trace.

Everything matched up.

The master stayed in a remote and backward village in Houtang for years, all to avoid Yelu Zhang’s relentless search.

Li Xianyun’s face was flushed with excitement as she grasped Yelu Yan’s large hand, her slender arms trembling slightly.

"Husband, my master is your mother, and she was in the inn just now."

In Yelu Yan’s eyes, it seemed as if countless stars had been lit, shining brilliantly, with a flash of surprise passing through, but in an instant, the stars fell, and his deep eyes turned as dark as an ancient well, leaving only an icy silence.

That heart, damaged beyond repair, was enduring a pain that bored into it.

His mother clearly knew he was right outside; even if not, she should have seen him through the crack of the window, yet she did not come out to meet him.

She hated him so much.

Even if she had come out to see him just once, just once, he wouldn’t have been so heartbroken.

The window that suddenly closed tightly was just like the door to his heart that he had firmly shut.

"Husband, let’s go back and find your mother. You two should talk things through. There is no mother in the world who doesn’t love her own children," Li Xianyun urged.

Yelu Yan gave a bitter smile. His Xianxian, still too well protected, how could there not be mothers in the world who didn’t love their children?

How many mothers use their children as pawns in a game of favoritism? And how many mothers abandon their children for their own selfish desires?

"Xianxian, I can heed your wishes in anything else, but not in this matter. Let’s go back to the palace, shall we?"

"No, husband, you must listen to me. My master is leaving tomorrow, and by the sound of it, she will never come back," Li Xianyun said anxiously.

Yelu Yan appeared undisturbed and unflappable on the surface, but his violently heaving solid chest still betrayed his tumultuous emotions at the moment.

"Since she never thought of seeing me, why should I see her?" he said coldly.

Such cold words.

How could Li Xianyun not understand him, given Yelu Yan’s experiences from a young age?

But it was all a misunderstanding between them.

"Husband, the reason why my master did not return to your side is because of your father Khan, not because of you. If she didn’t love you, she would not have taken such a big risk to return to Shangjing to take care of you," Li Xianyun explained.